The Spark Corps
by sirjosh10
Summary: Earth has been invaded for months now, the enemy is everywhere and grows stronger. Any resistance is scattered and weakening, the story follows a band of survivors in the US heading North for one last hope. Movieverse AU, some characters from real life. Rated T for violence and dark imagery.
1. Routine

The road ahead was dark, black mountains awaited in the distance. No stars appeared this night, thick smoke permeated the broken sky. Occasionally the full moon showed through, only to be hidden again by treacherous night.  
The battered mini van rolled ever onward, four of its five occupants lay dormant. It was three a.m. and the only break from the monotony was the sound of jets overhead and the occasional burst of machine gun fire or a thunderous explosion, all distant though.  
There it was again. A screeching sound, one of the fan-belts was loose. That wouldn't do. The car pulled off the rugged path, coming to stop under a sorry patch of burnt trees. Everywhere there was desolation. They had come without word or warning.  
The driver side door opened and a teen stepped out. All was shadow. A popping noise and the hood was open, a click and so was a flashlight. The boy blinked as his eyes adjusted, then peered closely at the assortment of mechanisms in the engine block. Stooping, he checked the water and oil levels. Low, but they'd have to hold. He checked a belt, it was searing hot, and loose. Josh stopped to suck his hand, some fingertips had been seared. Painful yes, but had the dying light of the flashlight or the waning glow of the moon been brighter, one could have seen scratches, burns and scars across his body. It'd been over a month since the invasion.  
He needed a wrench. The teen began heading for the trunk when a yellowish orange glow emerged from the seething smoke. Seconds later the flashlight was off, the jet's thundering engines could now be heard, as well as the click of a rifle. To the teen this had become routine, he didn't even wake the others.  
The jet was alone so probably an enemy. You could never really tell at night, that is so long as the engine fire was orange. Any other color and it was most certainly an enemy.

He found the wrench. In a matter of minutes the belt was tightened. Seconds more and the engine was humming quietly. The boy drove up the small bank, and the dark road lay ahead once more.  
You couldn't risk headlights, not here at least, not when but one hope remained. He looked back quickly, assuring himself the passengers were safe. Four were about his age, one much older. They all slept, some with pained expressions, bad dreams no doubt. Josh suffered from them too.

A ways off, a fire burned, the boy stopped the whirring car about fifty yards from the wreckage. Rifle and med-kit in hand he strode soundlessly to the burning hulk of a station wagon. He didn't expect survivors and found none. It was a family, they'd been lucky to make it this far. So many had never left home.

It'd been forty four days since word came of the invasion. Josh remembered the when the Emergency Broadcasting System had interrupted his mindless channel flipping. "STAY IN YOUR PLACE OF RESIDENCE. ENEMY FORCES ARE ENTERING THE AREA. CLEAR THE STREETS FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL. REMAIN IN YOUR HOMES"  
That repeated for two days. Long after the South had been wiped out.  
They were heading North and blindly so.  
A light began to show, the sun was rising and it was time to find cover. An orange hue shaded the landscape as dawn broke. The moon was still up, now sinking below the mountains and amber fields.  
Far ahead several fires ate at the once fertile land, black plumes of smoke rose malevolently against the wind. There came again that sporadic gunfire, closer now. They must hide soon. The road became atrocious as they passed signs of a battle; a convoy of jeeps, apparently ambushed, ammunition shells lay scattered about, craters and scorched potholes peppered the blackened area. There would be no survivors, the enemy made sure of that.  
-ammo though, was another matter, several cases were quickly stored, no time to linger. A patrol would be by soon. No sooner than the thought occurred, three jets roared over the horizon, a glimmer of hope shone in seeing them as American forces. Josh plugged his ears as they unleashed a salvo upon the ground. Seconds later and an inferno roared to life. The boy felt a small victory as the shock wave reached him, the surge flattening the brush. No return fire came and the jets pulled away. Josh headed back to the car, but just before restarting the engine, he became aware of a massive presence above and a sonorous hum. Out of the black smoke emerged an enemy gunship. The jets scrambled, and sent off another salvo accompanied by machine guns. The gunship fired, beams of purple energy streaked across the orange dawn, three explosions, then a shock wave. Wreckage rained down. That was too close, the teen swiftly started the vehicle and bounced up the torn path into a patch of trees. We'd spend the day here. Time to wake the others. He slid the door open and found green eyes staring back, dispirited but unbroken.


	2. Plans

The small group gathered under the trees, entrusting the withered trees in concealing their campfire. There were so many fires anyway. The five sat solemnly in the flitting cover. They waited as precious water was heated, adding two paacks of instant oatmeal; today's ration. If you couldn't catch food you had to find it, and there was little to be found. Of the five there were three males and two female, Joe, a teen of seventeen got up now to gather dew. Josh, 16, retrieved several map fragments from the van and began reviewing their route with Hailey, the one with green eyes. Sandy, also sixteen reassesed the final member's wounds. The band had found him days earlier, the only survivor of an unarmed convoy. He had been near death, but less so now. Sandy bent down and tightened a bandage across his waist. He grunted, the only sound they'd heard from him thus far. He rocked in his sleep sometimes moaning softly. He was about forty, white, and a beard that would be as well had iit not been scorched. Sandy unscrewed a water bottle, putting it to his parched lips, at first she drank none then gulped ravenously, spilling some of the priceless liquid. The teen tensed and re-screwed the cap. This man took so many resources and gave so little in return. These days generosity was often ill advised, and it pained the young woman to think such thoughts.

Joe returned, his belt held several containers, he had gathered about a half a liter of water, but also a decent amount of gas, ammo, oil, and MREs. "From a convoy a ways back" he explained. Three faces looked back relieved. "You shouldn't venture too far out alone you know" said Hailey, looking back down at the map. They'd traveled about four hundred miles, only by night on obscure paths and rugged trails. About now they were in central California and had much further to go. "By tomorrow we can hit Redding, from the radio reports its been decimated and free of hostiles" Josh stated, continuing "and if the roads clear, we may reach Sacramento". "You know we can't trust those reports" said Hailey in a hushed tone, "Look here, there's another trail avoiding half the county, surely that's safer". Josh shook his head, "but so much slower, the sooner we reach that fort, the better". A vote then. The two teens stood up, the fire flickering before them, Hailey spoke: "okay guys, we have two choices; a fast and risky road through Redding, or the safety of the wild. Sandy looked up from the old man, still staring at the sky, she didn't speak. Joe shifted uncomfortably, he didn't like these decisions. Just then the far off gunship unleashed a beam on the ground. They saw the white light as whatever lay beneath it was vaporized. Seconds later came the sound, a quick sizzling sound, and soon you could smell ozone. "I vote for the quickest route" spoke up Sandy, Joe nodded in assent. The man looked to the clouds, the group took it as agreement. They would go to Redding.

(A/N might lengthen this chapter)


	3. In the light

Josh remembered how this all started. He remembered as the engine hummed quietly and desolate hills passed by. It was Joe's turn at the wheel, and the sky was tinted orange. The others, too sat and stared out at the forsaken wastes- the enemy was thorough.

Josh remembered very well that night, he'd been at an amusement park.  
The landscape became a blur as he slipped into his thoughts.  
It had been a pretty good day, and now his family, wallets empty, sat around the lake awaiting fireworks. The show proceeded as expected, despite a brief drizzle, and the children could not have been happier. Even the usually obstinate Josh cracked a smile as the deafening finale exploded into the sky, clouding the darkened sky with graying smoke. Then alll was quiet.  
A jolt of a speed bump tore Josh back from the memory.  
Joe drove on, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. The others lay about sleeping, well maybe not the old man, you couldn't tell. Another thought occurred, and Josh checked the man's pulse. It was fine.  
The teen remembered doing the same to some of his family. They had not been so lucky. He clenched his fists, and entered nebulous memory once more.

It was in that moment, between sheer awe, and the haphazard bustling to the next attraction, that fate had it happen.

The sky was still hazy with spent works of fire, when a purple light began to glow overhead.  
A deep humming could now be heard as well.  
The light, at first could have been mistaken for one last firework, oh, but it was not.

For the light grew larger, spreading outward and rounder, and the humming louder-  
then in a beam, in a roar, the light came down-  
and the dream was no more.


	4. And desolation

The town of Redding had been hit about a week before, but it was hard to tell. Things were getting quiet by the time the band of survivors made their way through the wreckage. Most fires had burnt out, though many charred remains still glowed. The car alarms were hushed as their batteries died. Everywhere was desolation.

The group decided it was necessary to travel by day. The amount of wreckage would make night travel near impossible. Besides, the enemy rarely monitored the cities it toppled. Rarely.

The car bounced joylessly along the beaten path. Outside it was hot and dry. The desert had begun its reclamation of the land. Luckily there was air conditioning in the car, a necessity in Southern California.

Hailey was driving, Sandra, shotgun, assisting in navigating the debris and ruins of the broken city. Joe slept, the unknown man continued to stare, and Josh scanned the radio for news. It was quiet; the enemy had made quick work of the signal towers dotting the landscape. Personal CB radios, however, were harder to eradicate, and had exploded in use. These radios were key to any so called underground operations. They didn't broadcast often, and didn't report much, out of either fear or inability. The five refugees had yet to meet any resistance fighters, or _any_ organized survivors for that matter. As far as the teenagers were concerned, they were alone.

By midday the band had ceased searching for survivors. The sun above was a glaring yellow, and the sky was hazy.

Thankfully, the group had encountered no bodies; the enemy made efficient use of incineration cannons...

And with that happy thought, the car broke down. Overheated most likely. It was hot.

Four passengers released a collective sigh, and stepped out.

Within minutes the battered van was pushed into the remains of a jewelry store and the hood was up. Josh furrowed his eyebrows and began checking the basics. Water level was low again, but oil was fine. Well that was that, he was no mechanic. In a while he would check the tire pressure, car should be cool by then. Now would be a good time for foraging supplies...

He looked around and nodded to Hailey. He signaled the others and left with her. They went West, so the sun wouldn't be in their eyes on the way back. Silently, he noted some landmarks- a busted gas station sign still standing and a crashed helicopter several rooftops away. Hailey did likewise, and with a wave, the two were off.

They walked as quietly as they could, just keeping an eye out for anything that could be useful. There was no list, and they picked up items as they presented themselves. It was challenging terrain; rubble was unstable, and the two walked single file.

Unbeknownst to them, an enemy scout departed on patrol duty.

/**A/N: **Thanks to thediminutivecaptain for editing this chapter/


	5. A stroll in the park

It had been about thirty minutes into the little venture, when the two teens made an interesting find- an mostly intact swimming pool. Such finds were rare and Hailey was instantly drawn to it. She looked at Josh questioningly, he glanced around then nodded. The boy turned around to look for a place to keep watch. Clearly this had been some sort of gym, some charred exercise equipment still lay strewn about. A piece soon caught his eye, and he made his way through the tangle of wires and metal shards to examine it. It was trash, just some metal pin. He had begun to fiddle with it until a splash brought him back to earth. He glanced over at Hailey- she seemed to be enjoying herself. Well, he better go find a lookout post, wouldn't want anything sneaking up on them._  
_

Slinging his rifle onto his back, he began climbing up the collapsed roof. _Hmm not much cover here_ he thought, until settling on a protruding vent fan. This would do. He sat down, sliding the rifle to rest on his legs. Honestly, he didn't even know why he carried the thing, not like it could harm the foe, well not with his accuracy in any case. Well, it did add a sense of security, so maybe that was it.

It was noon still, and hot as ever and the pool was looking awfully inviting, despite it's greenish tinge. No, someone had to keep watch. With that thought he turned again to the horizon, the sun was directly above and he'd lost his sense of direction- no he could see some landmarks. Fifteen minutes. That's as long as they'd stay...

Josh adjusted himself, the steel box was not the comfiest of back rests, it'd been too long since he'd found a good couch. Nevertheless, he kept his eyes peeled, checking on the girl at random intervals...

As usual, he saw nothing, and didn't expect to. Nothing, no smoke, no birds, no fighters or gunships. Nothing. Well, time was up, and he began making his way down, wondering how to break the news.

He did'nt have to, Hailey saw him approaching and relunctantly climbed out. Walking around like this would not be fun, at least her clothes were dry.

Josh kept his gaze away, and was glad he did so, there was a ragged sweat towel pinned beneath a cinder block. No wet socks after all.

The two quietly circuited their camp, salvaging car parts, canned food, anything they could make use of. Within a few hours, their knapsacks were full- this was the good part about cities.

Cities, though were extremes- and their bad parts were nothing to trifle with.


End file.
